With minicamps coming to a close, let’s do our weekly thing and break down nine really random things going on around the NFL… So, what’s been up? 1. One thing we all learn to be cautious about is timelines for surgeries. Players are always either ahead of schedule, behind schedule, though rarely on schedule. Who knows? Probably the best way to do it is to understand why a guy is where he is. For instance, some teams view six or so months to return from an ACL tear to be a reach. When Patriots WR Wes Welker tore his knee up on Jan. 3 a few years back, he was essentially ready for training camp. That was seven months. But […]

So, after a few crazy days in Minnesota, I’m back home in Dallas. Gotta say, it was eventful. We can all thank Percy Harvin for that. I’ve probably written enough on Harvin to last a lifetime. Maybe that was his idea — to get people to write about, notice, and talk about him. It worked. Want to hear about the trip? Some highlights… – Late yesterday, the Harvin saga reached a ridiculous point when Harvin took to Twitter to laugh at reports that he was unhappy and note that he’ll be at training camp. Um, ok then. What can we take from all this? Well, sounds like we all spent a lot of time on something that may just work out. Harvin’s issues — whatever […]

A seemingly sleepy Vikings minicamp was turned on its head this week by comments made by WR Percy Harvin. He said he was unhappy, then demanded a trade, then bolted for the second day of practice. Sure he’s back today, but nothing has been resolved. It was a mess that was not rare for the Vikings. This is the same organization that allowed its coach Brad Childress to waive Randy Moss without telling management. What stood out to me after two days at Winter Park is how things have changed. This time, for the first time in a long time, there is one man running the franchise. GM Rick Spielman emerged as the face of the team, and that became […]

The NFL world woke up this morning to the news that Minnesota Vikings WR Percy Harvin wants out. He said he wasn’t happy yesterday, reiterated that, and now asked for a trade. News to the Vikings. They were stunned. So was Harvin’s good buddy, RB Adrian Peterson. He learned the news watching the ticker yesterday, and the star hadn’t talked with Harvin about it. Today, he offered his reaction. “Whatever the issue is, I’m sure they’ll get things squared away,” said Peterson, who often trains with Harvin. Peterson was asked how distracting it was, and he turned that answer into essentially a plea for Harvin and his team to make nice. “Distracting? I wouldn’t say distracting,” Peterson said. “It’s more […]

Vikings RB Adrian Peterson tore his ACL on December 24, triggering the longest offseason of his life. He’s targeted Week 1 for his return, and he seems to be on track. That’s all come with work. “I’ve been in the lab,” Peterson told me, and that’s an apt description. How is he doing? What he has been doing? Will he be ready? All pertinent questions. At Vikings minicamp yesterday, I spoke with Peterson for a while, and here is the full interview. Peterson has always worked. No surprise. Everyone knows that. But this offseason has made him work even more. He’s been humbled, and that’s changed his sense of urgency. He is just dying to be out there. “It really […]

Much of the focus of the NFL’s bounty investigation has included talk of the 2009 NFC title game featuring the Saints and the Vikings. During that game, QB Brett Favre was repeatedly drilled, and he wound up limping from it. Unveiled yesterday was the NFL’s evidence that had Saints players and others pledging $35,000 to knock out Favre. Yikes. Our own Steve Wyche had a thorough look at all of this. Well today, after the Vikings’ walk-through, I talked with Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, who was on that team. We talked about plenty of things, including his knee, and a lot of our interview aired on NFL Total Access. There will also be an in-depth story on NFL.com Wednesday. But with […]

Well, I’m back in Minnesota on a glorious June day. I can understand why people vacation here. Alas, the walk-through this morning was in the field house, so all the sun block I applied went to waste. The big story here is that mercurial star Percy Harvin isn’t happy. Why? Who knows? But here is what he told reporters today following the walk-through, citing issues that “definitely” need to be resolved. Well, defensive end Jared Allen also spoke to the media, and I’d say he wasn’t thrilled either. No, not for any contract reasons. But Allen was lamenting missing out on the single-season sack record last year, getting 22 to fall a half a sack short of Michael Strahan’s record. […]